Born-again Catholic.

Regarding Peter Feuerherd's May cover story ("Save me, Jesus! Getting along with your born-again neighbor"), the distinguished Barna Research Group defines "born-again Christians" as "people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated that they believe that when they die they will go to heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior."

They define "evangelicals" as "people who meet the born-again criteria plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today."

What is most surprising and disappointing about Feuerherd's reflections on "Getting along with your born-again neighbor" is the obvious discounting of those uncounted millions of us who are faithful and engaged Catholics and who are also, in fact, "born-again evangelicals."

Bob Ovies

Royal Oak, Mich.

Thank you for the cover story "Save Me, Jesus!" I find the polarization between Catholic Christians and Protestant/evangelical Christians disturbing and am committed to dispelling the myths out there when speaking to my evangelical friends. I would have liked the article to have included reference to sections in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as well as the Nicene Creed as tools for addressing the concerns of evangelical Christians. I believe by giving them the appropriate Catechism sections as well as reciting the Nicene Creed, the concerns an evangelical may have about a Catholic's salvation may be alleviated.

We could at that point say that we are "born again" and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the public affirmation of which is Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. I recognize there are other differences, of course, but I don't see those differences as being so monumental as to continue to build barriers once the "born again" issue is addressed.

Audre Perry

via e-mail